CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has set May 23-24 for the first presidential election since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster last year, an official said Wednesday, and the nation’s new president is to be named June 21. Egypt’s ruling military has pledged to turn over power to a civilian government after a new president is chosen, but it has not set a date for the transfer. The military has come under stiff criticism from reformers for its handling of the transition period, scarred... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of American mosques has increased dramatically in the last decade despite post 9/11 protests aimed at Muslim houses of worship, according to a new study. The new Islamic centers serve Muslims who moved into the suburbs and newer immigrants from Africa, Iraq and elsewhere. Researchers conducting the national count found a total of 2,106 Islamic centers, compared to 1,209 in 2000 and 962 in 1994. About one-quarter of the centers were built between 2000-2011,... Read more

CAIRO (AP) — A former Egyptian jihadist returned home on Wednesday saying he wanted to clear a case of mistaken identity that confused him with a senior al-Qaida leader sought by the United States. Washington confirmed that Mohammed Ibrahim Makkawi is not the wanted Saif al-Adel. The fact that Makkawi felt safe returning home after years in exile illustrated the more welcoming atmosphere for hard-line Islamists in post-Hosni Mubarak Egypt, where even Islamists with ideologies akin to al-Qaida’s now sit... Read more

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A joint investigation by NATO and Afghan officials into the burning of copies of the Quran that triggered riots and more than 30 deaths is nearly complete, and preliminary findings could be released within days, Western officials said Wednesday. A legal official with the U.S.-led International Security Assistance Force said the joint investigation will provide a broad conclusion into the circumstances that led to last week’s disposal of a number of Qurans and other Islamic texts... Read more

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Soul singer Erykah Badu said Wednesday she holds no grudge against Malaysia’s government for barring her from performing after a photograph of her body art offended some Muslims. More than 1,500 people had bought tickets to watch the Grammy-winning American singer at a Kuala Lumpur auditorium Wednesday, but Malaysia’s information minister announced on the eve of the concert that it could not proceed because a promotional photo of Badu with the Arabic word for Allah... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Months after receiving complaints about the New York Police Department’s surveillance of entire American Muslim neighborhoods, the Justice Department is just beginning a review to decide whether to investigate civil rights violations. Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress the status of the review Tuesday. The announcement bothered some Democrats, who said they were under the impression the Justice Department had been reviewing the matter since last late last year. Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that... Read more

BEIRUT (AP) — The Syrian regime showed a new determination Wednesday to crush its opponents, vowing to “cleanse” a rebel-held district in the besieged central city of Homs after nearly four weeks of shelling. Government troops massed outside the embattled neighborhood of Baba Amr, raising fears among activists of an imminent ground invasion that could endanger thousands of residents, as well as two trapped Western journalists, who have been under heavy bombardment. A Spanish journalist who had been stuck in... Read more

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eleven jurors have been chosen so far to hear a landmark priest abuse case in Philadelphia. The trial is expected to reveal the inner workings of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Prosecutors say two cardinals and others protected predator-priests to save the archdiocese’s reputation — and finances. But only one church official is on trial. Monsignor William Lynn is accused of endangering children as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004. The 61-year-old Lynn has pleaded... Read more

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eleven jurors have been chosen so far to hear a landmark priest abuse case in Philadelphia. The trial is expected to reveal the inner workings of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Prosecutors say two cardinals and others protected predator-priests to save the archdiocese’s reputation — and finances. But only one church official is on trial. Monsignor William Lynn is accused of endangering children as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004. The 61-year-old Lynn has pleaded... Read more

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A central Pennsylvania judge who came under fire for throwing out a harassment case against a Muslim man accused of accosting an atheist activist who dressed as a zombie version of the Prophet Mohammed in a Halloween parade said Tuesday he would not do anything differently. Mechanicsburg District Judge Mark Martin said many of the hundreds of calls he has received in the week or so since the alleged victim posted an audiotape of the December... Read more